GOP praises 'home run' address

"It was positive, uplifting. Just what we needed here," Sen. McConnell said of Trump's speech. (AP)

Republicans were exuberant leaving the House chamber Tuesday following President Trump's first address to a joint session of Congress that called on bipartisan cooperation to achieve big things for the American people.

Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., was all smiles crossing Statuary Hall on the way to his office just off the Capitol Rotunda.

"Home run," he told the Washington Examiner, when asked about the speech.

Trump's address made major promises centering on tax reform, health care, rebuilding the military and making massive infrastructure investments.

While Trump provided few details, he called on Congress to "get together and unite for the good of our country."

Trump delivered his speech to an audience of scowling Democrats who rarely clapped at his proposals, but Republicans, who for the first time in eight years listened to a GOP president address Congress, there was palpable excitement.

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, a staunch opponent of illegal immigration, said the speech earned high marks for addressing the problems associated with the nation's immigration system several times in the speech. King also applauded Trump's recognition of the widow of the late Navy Seal Ryan Owen, who was killed recently during a U.S. military operation in Yemen.

"That was the most powerful moment in any State of the Union speech and it was the longest standing ovation I ever remember," King said.

King praised Trump for proposing an infrastructure plan that would use some private funding to offset the cost.

"That might be the key to getting this thing done," King said.

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said Trump did a good job outlining the failures of Obamacare and the need to repeal and replace the law.

"But also jobs, the economy and where we want to be at the 250th birthday of America coming up in nine years, how aspirational we can get there," Barrasso said.

"The devil is in the details," Gosar said. "But at least what he did is he tried to do a rallying cry to try to get people unified to finding common solutions, whether it's Democrat or Republican. That I liked. He tried to offer an olive branch and that's critical."

Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., called Trump's speech "refreshing, inspiring and exciting," and said it was more of an outline, "to bring our country back to prosperity and strength."